Well, I'm happy things have settled for me, but that might not last long. Anyway, it's strictly ShikaTem here. NejTen is up next. Review. Despite what you might think, I do read them.

-------

Ch.25: Cats Always Land on Their Feet, But Not You

It was a typical school day. The gang was sitting around the gym while Gai proclaimed his love for youth in a long, grand speech whose special effects were not to be rivaled anytime soon.

Fireworks exploded overhead as Gai explained the power of youth, now on subsection 3, paragraph 10, line 12 of his speech. Sakura was daydreaming, Sasuke had closed his eyes in thought, Hinata and Naruto were stealing glances of each other, blushing beet-red when they were caught and turning away to repeat the process. Megumi and Kiba were in a heated debate about which author deserved better praise while Shino listened sagely and acted as mediator. Tenten was telling Neji something as he listened intently with his eyes closed, nodding every so often. Gaara was attempting sleep and Lee listened intently to the speech while Ino filed her nails patiently and on the other side of the class was Temari, her head tipped back and staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes, her eyes closed and she began mouthing words with her lips. Who was noticing all this, you ask? Why, it was none other than our favorite cloud-watching teen, Shikamaru, of course.

Shikamaru watched as her face grew taut with concentration and began mouthing the words even faster. She licked her lips and continued, her beauty highlighted with the artificial sunset of subsection 11.

Shikamaru had propped his head up with his hand and found his thoughts flooded with images of her. This had been going on since November, but it hadn't bothered him. He simply dismissed it seeing how they were in every class together. It hadn't been until the kiss during winter break that the dam burst and he found his every moment flooded with thoughts of her, waking or not. He didn't mind, but he couldn't stop thinking about her and frankly, it was getting…troublesome.

Gai had paused in his tirade to strike a pose and the special effects had stopped, the room submerged into the normal lighting of a gymnasium with no artificial lighting on. A beam of sunlight shined through the window, bathing Temari in its warmth, the light reflecting off the sheen of her lips. The sight caught him by surprise and his breath caught in his throat. Even in a gym uniform and lying on the uncomfortable gym floor, he thought she never looked more beautiful.

'Wait, beautiful?'

Thought processes went into overdrive as he began deciphering the new information. 'I think she's beautiful, I can't stop staring at her, I can't stop thinking about her, this could only mean one thing.'

"…Troublesome."

-----

It was the lunch period and Temari was lounging in the grass, bathing in the sun. "Mew."

She ignored the sound, thinking she was drifting in and out of consciousness and this was just a figment of her imagination when it happened again. "Mew." She sighed and looked at the tree not far from where she was. "Mew."

Temari got up, dusting the grass from her skirt and walked into the shade of the tree, searching the branches. She shielded her eyes from the sun coming in from breaks in the leaves and spotted something white in the tree. 'White?'

She climbed onto the tree to get a better look at the white object when it emitted a small 'mew.'

It was a kitten, a small black blotch near its tail shaped like an open fan. 'Aw, the poor kitten. Better get it down,' she thought as she ventured higher into the tree, unaware of the footsteps crunching in the grass below her.

Shikamaru walked through the grass, its smell floating up into the air as he settled himself down and stared up into the sky. 'This is the life,' he thought as he looked at the clouds that drifted lazily above him. A small rustling brought him from his peace and he propped himself up on his elbows. 'What was that?' He noticed another rustle and he stood, walking towards the tree when he noticed a leg dangling from a tree limb. "Troublesome."

-----

Temari inched carefully along the limb; an arm holding her steady as the other motioned a finger to the kitten. "Here kitty-kitty. Come here," she cooed to the kitten who mewed in response and inched further away. "Damn it," she cursed and moved closer, her fingers brushing the soft fur. 'You're mine now,' she thought as she inched closer.

"Almost…"

"You know I can see your panties, right?"

Temari looked behind her, her face etched with embarrassment, shock, anger, and mortification as she looked down. "Shikamaru!" she roared.

"I can still see them," he reminded her.

"Eep!" she said, bringing both hands to hold down her skirt. She quickly realized her mistake and made a mad grab for the branch, but it was too late, she was already falling out of the tree.

"Oof," she said as she landed on the grass below and watched the kitten leap and land nimbly on her before walking off and cocking its head to the side to look at the human with leaves in her hair. "Damn cat," she cursed and made a motion to stand, but quickly fell back down, hissing in pain. "Dammit, now I really hate that cat," she muttered, glaring spitefully at the kitten who licked its paw and returned its gaze to her.

She heard the grass rustle under footsteps. "What's wrong?"

"I think I twisted my ankle," she replied, clutching her swollen ankle.

"Let me see."

Shikamaru crouched beside her and she blushed at their close proximity. He brushed his fingers against her ankle, watching her face contort in pain. "I should bandage this first to keep it from moving," he said, removing his tie and moving it to her ankle.

Temari watched in a trance, a type of peace flowing through her mixed with confusion. The words escaped her before she could stop herself. "Why are you doing this?"

Shikamaru looked up in question. "What do you mean?" he asked as he returned to his task.

"Why are you taking care of me like this? You could've just left and returned with the nurse, but instead you're here with me, bandaging my ankle. Why?"

"Because I like you," he murmured as he tied a knot.

Temari stared at him in disbelief, her shock carrying into her tone. "I'm sorry, but I think I just heard you say you liked me," she said, punctuating the statement with a gesture to herself.

"Troublesome; I did."

"Did what?"

"I said I liked you. Troublesome woman."

Temari smiled and let her hand trail to his chin, bring his face towards hers for a kiss. "I'll let that one slide."

"Troublesome," he said with a scowl, but he dropped it and replaced it with a smile. Sliding an arm under her shoulders and an arm under her legs, he picked her up. "Ready to go?" he asked.

She looked up at him. "Of course."

He sighed. "You're so troublesome," he muttered, looking down at her as she frowned. He kissed her forehead, soothing her fears. "But I like you that way," he said and carried her to the nurse, the kitten mewing in the grass while another cat, one with a black tuft on its head, sidled up beside it, tails tangling with each other and noses pressing.